As we celebrate the 25th Fringe, here’s to Los Angeles storyteller Les Kurkendaal, who debuted here decades ago. He’s stayed on the solo-show track, honing a strong sense of what intrigues an audience, this year talking about his recent travels to Russia. While still not a crafty wordsmith, Kurkendaal’s a pleasant traveling companion, his tales informed by Russia’s reputation of being hard on those black or gay… and he’s both. In fact, his acceptance as a black man – “Hello, Bro!” the locals all seem to shout – sets that aside for the more interesting stories of Russia’s underground gay culture.

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